Airport Area Parking Tips - Places to Park and Save

Getting to the airport before your trip can be hard to figure out. What do you do if you have a morning flight and you don't want to wake up someone at 4 am? There are places to park at airport as well as local off-site services that will shuttle you. In addition there are some shared services that will pick you up at your home and save you money due to sharing the ride with others in the van.

You can park at the short-term parking lot for a business trip but the pricing there is the most expensive. That may be fine if your company will cover it or you are traveling for a couple of days. You are paying for the convenience.

Long-term parking generally is used for those taking a vacation and there is a bit more inconvenience since you may need to take a shuttle to reach the airport terminal check-in point. The shuttle service is free and included with your parking fee.

When you park at the economy parking lot you save the most money but have a longer shuttle to the airport. Compare this with the long-term rates to see what works best for you. If you need to be in a sheltered lot, you may not get that in economy parking.

If you don't write down where you parked the car, you may not find it! Parking lots are big and after a long trip out of town you may have no idea where you parked the car so write down the number of your spot. If you don't you may be wandering around the lot with luggage when you return.

In big cities and even small cities, more services are springing up that offer parking to travelers at competitive prices. You can park off site and you'll be given a shuttle in a van to the terminal and back. Sometimes they will even warm up your car in advance, give you a newspaper and coffee and other amenities. Hotels, small auto shops and specifically designed airport transport services set up parking areas for travelers to leave their cars.

If you are parking in town, keep in mind that they may charge differently for having your car open to weather or sheltered. Depending on the age of your car, you may be fine with it being out in the open, especially if the weather is good. Always check how long the wait is to get their shuttle to and from the airport.

An additional airport transportation parking option is to use a shared ride van that many airports have. In Fort Lauderdale, for example, you can pay 15.00 and be picked up from your home and taken to the airport. There are usually 3 or 4 other parties in the car. Depending on the line up you may have to wait a bit or be in van for a while. Still, you can't beat the price.

Think out what works best for you when you travel and how much convenience you need, time you have and the length of your trip. Parking can be expensive so it's important to compare pricing.

Find out parking options to make your travels the most comfortable at Airport Parking Tips